Scored the Jerry Byrd motherload today

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Yep, it's happy dance time after bringing home 3 boxes filled with some of the last things belonging to Jerry that aren't precious to his wife, Kaleo, however they are very important to me.
The items are 2 seperate groupings from Jerry's musical library, the first is the remainder of his LP collection, containing a number of real gems that managed to not get away. Most of the 75 albums are some he played on and given to him with written appreciations from famous and non-famous artists, many I've never been aware of, and a few seem to be LPs he may have gotten for own interest or enjoyment. One of my favorites, that I've been dying to get anyway, is the rare Alvin K. Isaacs and Sons, signed by Alvin, Barney, Atta, and Norman, 4 signatures on the front and again on the back. Another is a very rare live issue by Sonny Kamahele that I didn't know existed until a few months ago when I blew an ebay opportunity in lieu of a signed photo of Hilo Hattie, can't find any info on it, but Bernie Kaai Lewis is the steel player, a very cool score. Then there's a blank/black 3 LP box of country tunes signed by none other than Owen Bradley, saying "To Jerry Bullsh!t Byrd, Owen". Priceless! The records are all in great rarely played condition and most are real keepers, but it's a keen insight to Jerry's personal side that is rather unique.
The 2nd batch is equally fascinating and important to me, a slew of cassettes containing his acoustic guitar backing rhythm, possibly for songs that he transcribed and made available for sale, and are now being sold by Scotty, but I don't think the rhythym tracks ever saw the light of day in any form. These are much like the rhythym's to songs he'd add to a tape during individual lessons at Harry's Music that each student would get for each week's study, but are more elaborate and all the tunes are scribed on the inserts. Add to these are copies of his tapes for his big lesson book, Vols. I & II, and a handful of his favorite officially released LPs and that nearly rounds out the tapes, except for a few oddities like The JB Hawaiian Steel Guitar Seminar Tape and a JB Salute recorded off the radio. I need to get a tape player to know what is actually on all this, as well as a record player, but it'll take whole days to get thru all this bounty and eventually make them available for public consumption.
This, along with the mail finally making good on delivering a letter containing nearly a grand to the seller of a great guitar I'm purchasing, only a week longer than it should have taken... and this has been a very fine day in paradise! Only thing better would be if ol' Jerry was still alive and well. Can't have everything.

David Matzenik · From: Cairns, on the Coral Sea

Congrats Ron. Its nice when important stuff goes to the right home.
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Thanx, David, I'm glad it all stayed in Hawaii.

Wally Pfeifer · From: Illinois, USA

Ron,
You're a lucky man to have our mutual friend to arrange the transfer of all this good stuff. Couldn't have gone to a better fan.
He has been my best friend for the last 50+ years, also.
Now how do you think I should get rid of my vast collection when it comes time. Which is close!
Several thousand LPs under categories such as Hawaiian, Southseas, Big Band, Santo & Johnny. Country/Western Singers, Country/Western Steel guitar, Mood Music,etc etc. Mostly Hawaiian LPs.
Also, hundreds of CDs. ????
Wally

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Wally, that's a question I've been pondering since trying to get into the Vogel collection now in UH hands years back. With the vastness and high quality condition of your's it'd be preferable to keep it intact, but just moving it will be a herculean task, finding a new home may be impossible unless a nearby college is willing and able. Maybe this thread can serve a higher purpose and generate a workable solution. That you don't have the live Kamahele LP was kinda shocking, it must be scarcer than even I knew, and was stunned to find it in Jerry's posession. Curious how it came to be there...

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

And the hits just keep on coming...
Picked up another boxload from Mr. Mutual, known as Frank Miller to mere mortals, a long time friend of Jerry, Barney, Benny, Billy, who Summer's on Oahu with wife, Donna and is tight with Kaleo. Got a stack of CDs today, similar to the LPs with their notes of artist appreciation, also including Jerry's copies of his original lesson book, backing trax and the video that accompanies the Seminar, so now the collection is more complete, as well as communications with Scotty about finalizing all the engineering of his instructional recordings.
Intriguing to sort thru these Byrd time capsules, but leaves an agonizing void by not being able to ask a million questions and get a few answers from The Man.

Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

I am happy for you, Ron. I know that you will take good care of it.

Aloha, Smile

Don

James Williamson · From: California & Hawaii

Well, congratulaionsvRon... This stuff couldn't have gone to a more eager recipient

Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

thats wonderful news Ron. amazing he kept all that - can you imagine what jems probably got left behind, lost forever, when he left Nashville.
_________________
'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Thanx, guys, it's as much relief as it is satisfaction to be at the right place/right time and be considered in getting things like these instead of the City dump. Too many times you hear after the fact about even greater items being tossed out due to lack of appreciation or family/friends thinking nobody would want such things, the many landfills are full of treasures lost. The cool thing is, these rhythym trax can now live on, providing a unique opportunity for those who care to play the many great tunes compiled with non other than Jerry Byrd as their personal backup, something I was dumbfounded to see was gonna happen the 2nd day of lessons with Jerry. To know he was about to lay down on tape his own guitar backing for me, like he had hundreds of other times for his students as I watched, is something I'll never forget. And to now have a bunch more, that I didn't even know existed, has me over the moon. Fellow forum member, Mike Anderson of Canada, is going to help in transfering all these trax to digital for me, and then we can get them up and available forever for those who want them. I think Jerry would be happy about this turn of events.

Mike Anderson · From: British Columbia, Canada

Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

Kekoa Blanchet · From: Kaua'i

Butch Pytko · From: Orlando, Florida, USA

Very good, Ron! Once again, you're proving it very advantageous by being there in Hawaii! Your efforts in recognizing and recovering the Jerry Byrd treasures is priceless!

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Here's a listing of the tunes on the tapes, starting with tape #1;
Hawaiian Hospitality
Lahaina Luna
Hawaiian Paradise
Keep Your Eyes On The Hands
Kanaka Wai Wai
Hula Blues
Lehuanani
Blue Hawaii
Tropic Trade Winds
Night Of Tropic Love
I'll Weave A Lei Of Stars
Kaulana O Hilo
Hanakahi
Blue Lei
Aloha Sunset Land
Hula Lolo
Twilight In Paradise
Adventures In Paradise
Ho'onanea
Show Me How To Do The Hula
Hawaiian Wedding Song
Maui Chimes
E Ku'u Morning Dew
Beautiful Kauai
Makalapua
My Tane
Maui Moon
Naughty Naughty Mai Nei
E Mama E
My Hawaiian Song Of Love
Hawaii Calls
Ku'u Ipo Ika He'e Pue One
Maui Waltz
A Million Moons Over Hawaii
I Am Hawaii
Mauna Kea
Crossroads To Paradise
On The Beach At Waikiki
Sweet Leilani
Hawaiian Sunset
White Ginger Blossoms
Yellow Bird
Pagan Love Song
Beyond The Reef
Kohala March
Drowsey Waters
Aloha No Honolulu
Hawaiian Hula Eyes
Danny Boy
Faded Love
San Antonio Rose
Cold, Cold Heart
Panhandle Rag
Melody Of Love
Red Sails In The Sunset
The Waltz You Saved For Me
Greensleeves

Jerry custom made the inserts listing the songs in his own script, hopefully we can copy these for the cover art.
Out of at least 8 tapes made, #s 4 and 6 are suspected as missing, somewhere are possibly a few more songs. Check your old cassettes! Very Happy

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

Ron, those tapes were made available to HSGA members back in the late 80's / early 90s.

I bought all 8 tapes.

Several years back I put them through Sound Forge and cleaned up the tape hiss ... And pitch corrected them ( the E note he sounds at the start of each song was quite sharp ... Dubbing artifact I guess).

JB had bought a 4 track recorder ... Which he later sold in the HSGA newsletter.

I made them available to HSGA members who had bought the originals for free.

Some insights on them are provided by cc Johnson and Scotty here ...

http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/008284.html

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Wow, thanx for all the info, Rick, that's a big help! It fills in some blanx, somehow I missed that thread all these years, but it's interesting/great to know there are indeed more tapes/trax in existance and maybe they can be salvaged to complete the set once again. Plus, the possibility that bass and uke are included is a real bonus. Good to be aware of the pitchiness per the E que as well. My only bummer is no inclusion of Beautiful Kahana on tapes 4 & 6, as I'd been hoping.
I'm guessing after all these years that with Kaleo dispensing with them, and your previous generousity via their HSGA availability, there's little issue of allowing them again into public domain?

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

Here's the thread I put up when I started messing with them ...

http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/008324.html

I think I ended up just pitch correcting, running a little hiss removal and normalizing them.

Most folks wanted "audio" CDs to just drop in ... though it was far easier to just run off data mp3 CDs ...

I probably sent out a dozen complete sets ...

I assume Scotty has the "rights" to them ... as with all JBs educational materials ?

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